Top Greens politicians, including leader Adam Bandt, mobilised anti-war protesters with a call to action before an angry mob rained down chaos in Melbourne, where thousands have hurled rocks and assaulted cops.
Mr Bandt wrote a post on his X profile last week about the Land Forces Defence Expo, scheduled to run from Wednesday to Friday at the Convention Centre in Naarm – the Indigenous name for Melbourne.
He wrote: ‘Land Forces will be in Naarm next week.’
‘Labor are allowing the largest arms expo in the southern hemisphere to spruik weapons of war for profit, when the community are desperate for a genocide to end. It should not go ahead.’
WA Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John then posted a video on Instagram, encouraging Australians to rail against the expo – while sitting in front of an illustration of a protest with Palestinian flags.
‘These merchants of death are coming to sell their wares and to try to persuade the government to buy these things from them, and people are gathering for demonstrations and actions to call out this horrific industry,’ he said.
‘If you want to be part of it, if you want to join with them in calling this out, then please go to our bio where you will find links to the protest pages.’
Vile footage on Wednesday showed mobs of people assaulting police horses, throwing boulders, manure and chairs, climbing trucks, and trying to push their way through police barricades.
As the chaos escalated – with bins set alight and journalists pepper-sprayed and shot with rubber bullets – Mr Bandt defended the rally while speaking on ABC Radio National.
Adam Bandt (pictured with his partner, Claudia Perkins) has defended chaotic and violent anti-war rallies in Melbourne
Pictured: A fire in the middle of Melbourne during protests on Wednesday
Police used pepper spray on some of the protesters on Wednesday morning (pictured)
Pictured: Chaos and destruction in Melbourne, as police pepper spray protesters on Wednesday
‘What people are protesting about here is an end to the escalation of war, of starting to treat weapons manufacturing now as somehow an inherent good [is wrong],’ he said on Wednesday morning.
‘My message is always twofold.
‘One is that protests should be peaceful, and secondly is that people, including the media, need to pay attention to what people are protesting about and in this instance, people are protesting against proliferation of weapons of war.’
Mr Steele-John’s Instagram video was a joint effort with the main organisers of the protest which has its own social media page called ‘Disrupt Land Forces’.
The protest page is frequently updated with photos and messages of encouragement.
One post on Wednesday morning said: ‘Ready… Set… Resist!’
Another urged demonstrators to take the protest ‘to the freeway’.
Several protesters were seen grappling with the reins of police horses to allow other demonstrators to break through.
One man, with a long mullet and wearing sunglasses, could be seen repeatedly grabbing at a bridle before he tried to snatch a horse whip out of a mounted officer’s hands.
Victorian Police clash with protesters during a rally against the LandForces International Land Defence Exposition at the Melbourne Convention and Entertainment Centre on Wednesday
Pictured: Demonstrators arriving at the protest early on Wednesday morning
Pictured: Anti-war protesters rtying to break through police barricades on Wednesday
Another disturbing video shows demonstrators throwing what appeared to be horse faeces at a group of mounted police.
Officers were seen with faeces stuck to their helmets and uniforms as they attempted to control the crowd, with some officers using capsicum spray.
Anthony Albanese has weighed in on the demonstration, saying ‘people have a right to protest peacefully’.
‘But you don’t say you’re opposed to defence equipment by throwing things at police,’ he told Sunrise.
‘They’ve got a job to do, and our police officers should be respected at all times.’
Early in the morning, the mob moved from the convention centre, where police had turned out in force, and towards a major intersection in an attempt to block it, as mounted police tried to steer them away.
Victoria Police was given ‘special powers’ under the Terrorism (Community Protection) Act in the area surrounding the exhibition centre until 11.59pm on September 15.
Under the powers it’s an offence to hinder a search or fail to comply with a direction to remove a face covering.
‘This is expected to be our largest operation since the World Economic Forum in 2000,’ a Victoria Police spokesman said.
‘A number of police will be dedicated to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to ensure the highest level of safety and security throughout the event.
‘This includes hundreds of regional police who will travel to Melbourne for the event in addition to metro general duties police and specialist police including the Public Order Response Team, Highway Patrol and Mounted Branch.’